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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23975470">Loose Feathers (TRC month)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imtoolazytodoanything/pseuds/Imtoolazytodoanything'>Imtoolazytodoanything</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff and Angst, Multi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:29:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,256</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23975470</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imtoolazytodoanything/pseuds/Imtoolazytodoanything</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>short stories about the beloved dimension-hoping family for Tsubasa Chronicle Month 2020</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fay D. Fluorite/Kurogane, Sakura | Tsubasa Clone/Syaoran | Li Tsubasa Clone, Sakura | Tsubasa/Syaoran | Li Tsubasa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. day 1 - Fai</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>(Set early in TWC. Implied Kurofai.) (TW: implied past suicidal thoughts, I tried to be as subtle as possible but still, be safe out there)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fai jolts up. His mind whirls directionless for a minute, the only thing anchoring him to earth being the quiet shaking of his limbs. Eventually, his awareness sharpens. A nightmare. He just had a nightmare.</p>
<p>Although the realization helps him get his mind in order again, it does nothing to placate the phantom cold that runs through his body; nor does anything for the panic bumping in his chest.</p>
<p>He forces himself to relax. Breathe in. Breathe out.</p>
<p>He concentrates on his hearing until he picks up short and steady breaths coming from his left. <em>Kurogane,</em> he thinks, using the name to pull his mind fully to the present. Fai anchors himself to his presence, trying to pace his still shaky breathing to Kurogane’s steady one.</p>
<p>In. Out. He finally opens his eyes.</p>
<p>He finds himself staring at their shared room in Tomoyo’s palace. <em>Nihon</em>, he repeats in his mind, <em>we are in Nihon. You are safe.</em></p>
<p>He gets up from the futon, careful not to wake Kurogane, and walks shakily to the window. He rests his arms on the sill, looking at the flowers and trees illuminated by the moon. He concentrates on the vibrant colours and warm breezes, hoping the obvious evidence of spring would get rid of the freezing cold he feels.</p>
<p>It starts to work, after a few minutes. His breath steadies, his arms stop shaking. The panic settles, replaced by a familiar hollowness. He still feels that old cold in him, but it’s distant now, like the bitter memory it really is.</p>
<p>He is in the present. He is in Nihon, with Kurogane and Syaoran and Mokona. They are taking a small break from their quest. <em>They’re safe.</em></p>
<p>He is in the present. He realizes that, after everything, it became a comforting place to be. He is in the present, and even feeling like this, he <em>wants</em> to be here.</p>
<p>The feeling is still fascinating to him. <em>Wanting </em>to be here, instead of just <em>having </em>to keep going. It is still a fleeting development, even after all this time. In worse nights than this, his old mind-set creeps in, and he can shake it on his own no matter how hard he tries. It settles in his heart and doesn’t leave until he’s curled up at Kurogane’s side, or he falls asleep again listening to Syaoran’s breathing, or ruffling Mokona’s head, or thinking about Sakura’s hug from when they last saw her.</p>
<p>Even if he isn’t so convinced of it sometimes, there are people who want him to live. Not as a punishment, and without a price. They want him to live because they <em>love </em>him. In nights like this, he holds onto that like a lifeline.</p>
<p>He turns around to look at Kurogane’s sleeping form. He’s surprised his little freak out hasn’t woken him up, but he’s glad for it all the same. The man sleeps better in his homeland, a feeling of safety he doesn’t get anywhere else. He smiles, despite himself.</p>
<p>He breathes deeply again. His heartbeat is still a bit uneasy; there still are echoes of cruel voices in his head. But he’s calmer now, he may even be able to fall asleep again.</p>
<p>He walks out of the room, as quietly as he can. Careful not to wake him either, he sneaks into Syaoran’s room. The boy is asleep on his side, hair covering his eyes. Under his arm, he can see Mokona snuggling against him.</p>
<p>He looks at them for a moment. Thinks of the other Syaoran, who they haven’t located yet. Thinks of Sakura back at Clow Kingdom. Thinks of the lost Sakura, the one he owes one hell of an apology to, she who always saw so much in him.</p>
<p>There are many things he wants to do, and he tries to remind the hollow that still rests on his chest of them: He wants to find the other Syaoran and Sakura, give them the rest they deserve. He wants this Syaoran to see the world for himself. He wants Kurogane to be happy and heal, and he wants to be there for it all.</p>
<p>As he makes his way back to his room, he catches sight of his reflection. It makes him pause. <em>Would you be proud of me, Fai? h</em>e can’t help but wonder. The question isn’t as haunting anymore.</p>
<p>He gets back on the bed, attaching himself to Kurogane’s left arm. The feeling of the artificial limb is just another reminder that he’s wanted here, even if it is not a happy one.</p>
<p>He closes his eyes. The hollow in his chest hasn’t left, he doesn’t think it ever will, but it is smaller now. Manageable. It won’t eat him whole, like it did before.</p>
<p>“You okay?” Kurogane’s voice is muffled and tinted by sleep, but he can still recognize the edge of concern in it.</p>
<p>“Yeah, go back to sleep.” He tells him, snuggling against his arm. “I’ll be fine.” He adds, and as he lays his head against Kurogane's side, he thinks he means it. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Day 2 - Kurogane</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dusk dawns over their little group, as they enjoy their evening in the outskirts of the kingdom. Kurogane enjoys the warm breeze of summer on his skin, and the feeling of sand against his feet. Most of all though, he takes special comfort in the warm bodies against his.</p><p>Fai is curled to his right, his head rested against his arm. He’s looking up to the sky, a small and relaxed smile on his face. On his left, Syaoran his resting his head against his leg. The boy is smiling softly at Sakura, who is in turn lying against his abdomen, Kurogane’s arm hanging loosely on her back. He can’t see from his position, but he bets that, laying side by side as they are, they’re holding hands. Mokona is snuggling against his right hand. He flexes it a bit, squeezing her gently.</p><p>He closes his eyes, basking in the moment. He thinks of what Tomoyo-hime would think if he saw him like this. She always wanted him to find his peace, after all.</p><p>There has always been a fire in him, this anger-fuelled drive to get better, stronger. Ever since Suwa was destroyed and his parents killed, he’s been chasing strength. A childish belief that if he got strong enough, he wouldn’t lose anyone else.</p><p>He now knows, through experience and example, that sometimes strength isn’t enough. He had met his fair share of powered individuals, Clow Reed, the witch, <em>Fai.</em> Exceptional as they were, they had as much luck stopping death as his younger self did, all those years ago.</p><p>Even this quiet moment would end whether they wanted it to or not. Tomorrow they would leave Clow and the princess behind, and there is nothing he can do to stop it.</p><p>The thought is not exactly comforting, but he has made his peace with it. He has made peace with a lot of things.</p><p>He had thought, since he was a child, that killing the guy who killed his parents would not only confirm his acquired strength, but also give him peace, release him from that burden he had been carrying since he was a child.</p><p>In the end, he did kill him. Slashing him in two felt <em>good,</em> incredibly vindictive and rewarding,but it wasn’t the liberating thing he expected it to be. The first hints of real peace only came after everything was over, with the kids unconscious on his and Fai’s laps, tired and shaky and relieved and <em>alive</em>. Even if they were missing two people, they were out there; they just had to bring them back.</p><p>They had all made it, more or less. He feels Fai distractedly trace his fingers against his arm, and he turns to him with a small smile, which the mage returned in kind. Syaoran whispered something to the princess, and her laugh tickled his stomach. Mokona is humming a little song now; he closes his arms to its rhythm.</p><p>There was a lot to do yet. As of right now, those important to him were safe in his arms, and he will let himself be swept by that peace, for as long as it lasts.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Was this an excuse to write a Kurogane cuddle-pile? Well, yes.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Day 3 - Syaoran</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In a small and quiet garden, surrounded by the trees and the songs of the nearby birds, father and son sit opposite to each other. The son’s features are softened by youth, as he around a year old, but they’re unnervingly alike.</p><p>The little boy gets up, doing his best to balance himself in his shaky legs. His father smiles warmly at him, gesturing him to get closer. The boy moves one leg forward, and then the other. His walk is a bit uncoordinated, but his determined little pout shows he is giving it his all.</p><p>“You’re almost there, bud!” The father cheered, as the boy got closer to his lap.</p><p>The child finally made it, stumbling over his dad’s legs and falling flat against his chest. His father laughs, lifting him up and giving him a kiss on his forehead. The little boy smiles, touching his father’s face.</p>
<hr/><p>Syaoran materializes into a horrifying scene. A water reservoir now turned a battlefield. Or rather, a bloodbath.</p><p>He looks at his clone, notes his vacant stare. Notes the <em>blue </em>in one of his eyes. Sees the blood on the wizard’s face, the look of horror in the ninja’s.</p><p>(He wants to look at the fourth person, who is screaming for them all, but he just can’t bring himself to. There’s only so much heartache he can deal with at once.)</p><p>He’s too late. He can feel the other half of his heart, coming from his clone’s chest. Its seal is broken, laying foreign and useless in the other boy’s body.</p><p>His own heart aches. After all this time, watching him from his eye, he really thought he had a fighting chance against this particular twist of fate.</p><p>(He should know better. The boy in front of him is a copy of himself, and look at how <em>his </em>attempt to change fate went.)</p><p>The clone is looking at him, calculating, robotic, <em>soulless.</em></p><p>He steps forward. He sees him raise his sword up, and Syaoran squares up. He has a promise to fulfill.</p>
<hr/><p>After so long, after all their efforts, they have made it. Syaoran’s legs are a bit wobbly from both exertion and pure joy of seeing the person in front of him.</p><p>He’s here. Tangible, real.  His clone. His dad. Both and neither at the same time, courtesy of the mess they have made of time and space. All in all though, the person in front of him is a part of himself, one he has missed so much.</p><p>He sees the boy smile at him; opening his arms in an inviting gesture. He forces himself to move, stumbling over the small distance that still separates them.</p><p>He makes it, clinging to the other’s back. He holds onto him like he’s afraid he’ll disappear if he doesn’t tug hard enough (a big part of him still worries he might). He feels his eyes swollen with tears.</p><p>“Welcome home.” Syaoran tells him.</p><p>Neither of them really belongs anywhere now, except maybe with each other.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Day 4 - Sakura</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was late at night in the reservoir. The adrenaline of the previous days’ events had begun to die down, leaving a heavy atmosphere drenching both the inhabitants of the tower and her own group.</p><p>Sakura was going back to her room, mindful of her injured leg. In her mind, there was nothing but the continuous loop of a haunting vision. Her walk was difficult but determined.</p><p></p><div class="media-holder media-holder-draggable media-holder-hr">
  <hr class="tmblr-truncated"/>
  <p></p>
  <div class="media-button icon_close media-killer">
    <p> </p>
  </div>
</div><p>In one of the hallways, she saw Kurogane, sitting on one of the windows. He was looking at the depressing landscape, with a grave look on his face. There was an aura of defeat around him, from the way his muscles sank to the weight in his gaze. He looked almost….<em>hopeless</em>, in a way that Sakura never wanted to see in the man, ever again.</p><p>He noticed her, looking pointedly at her leg with a frown. <em>Be careful</em>. She tried to smile at him, but she didn’t quite manage it. She was having trouble looking at them, as her brain was quick to morph their images into those she had seen in her vision.</p><p> Despite the obvious fake smile, Kurogane’s face still softened for her, at least for a minute. The gesture was endearing, but it just made her sad. </p><p>She passed by some of the tower’s inhabitants, and thought of her feathers. The livelihood of these people depended on one of them, and that for her was way more important than whatever memory or life-force of hers it contained. She wondered if in any of the worlds they had been to, the worlds they would soon visit, the feather was as essential as it was here. She selfishly hoped it wasn’t, but she doubted it.</p><p>She saw Fai next, sitting on a piece of rubble inside one of the empty rooms. He had his back to her, but she could still notice the tension of his shoulders, the way his head hung low. </p><p>She thought of seeking him out. Fai had always made her feel safe, more confident. She would need it for the conversation she was about to have. She dismissed the idea, however. It was too risky, Fai was too perceptive and she felt like her intentions were written all over her face. </p><p>Even from behind, he looked tired and angry. He was avoiding Kurogane, most likely. They were all avoiding each other lately, either consciously or unconsciously. It hurt her, deep in her chest. </p><p>Their little group had taken a big hit, and the scattered pieces couldn’t be put back together to form the same group as before. <em>And it would get worse,</em> the memory of her vision reminded her, <em>so much worse.</em></p><p><em>Unless she does something about it</em>.</p><p>She squared up her shoulders, trying to make the last few steps to her room. Gods, she was getting dizzy. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sya– <em>no</em>, the other Syaoran from one of the windows. He was downstairs, outside the building, staring at the starless night.</p><p>He had been avoiding all of them, and making sure to keep the symbol on his clothes hidden from view. Sakura felt bad for him, he was as much a victim of this game as the rest of them. Even so, she couldn’t bear to look at him for long. Not looking as he did, a carbon copy of someone so important to her.</p><p>She tried to think of her Syaoran, but her mind betrayed her with images of mismatched eyes and dead expressions. Something tugged at her throat, and she frowned at herself. <em>That </em>wasn’t her Syaoran, either.</p><p>(<em>Did her Syaoran even exist anymore?)</em></p><p>She finally entered the room, Mokona jumping to her shoulder in greeting. She petted her absentmindedly, her thoughts elsewhere.</p><p>She thought of the vision. The blood and misery she had seen. Her family, dead. Destroyed.</p><p>She thought of their little group. Of Fai’s kindness that he seemed to be so unaware of. Of Kurogane’s caring and protectiveness, that always shined through no matter how hard he tried to hide them. Of Mokona’s energy and warmth. Of this Syaoran’s eagerness to help, of the heavy weight on his shoulders.</p><p>She thought of <em>her</em> Syaoran, his smile and touch and openness and curiosity, the way he said her name that made her heart flutter in ways she couldn’t explain. She thought of him until she couldn’t bear it any longer.</p><p>Breathing hard, she made a decision.  </p><p>“Mokona-chan, could you contact Yuuko?” She requested, sitting on a piece of rubble.</p><p>Mokona did as told, and soon the witch appeared in front of her. She was looking at Sakura like she knew exactly why she was calling her. Well, she most likely did. Sakura clenched her jaw, trying to ignore the way her hands shook.</p><p>She would save her little family and get Syaoran back, whatever it takes.</p><p>“Mokona, go to sleep, okay?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sacrificing soul and body to change the events of infinity and save everyone is one of my favorite moments for Sakura, even if it makes me unbelievably sad.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Day 5 - Mokona</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mokona liked kisses. They were cute, you make a funny noise when you give them, and it showed the person how much you loved them!</p><p>Check kisses, forehead kisses, nose kisses, they were all so lovely!</p><p>NOT mouth kisses, though. Those were for your Very Special Person, so only Syaoran and Sakura or Kurogane and Fai could give mouth kisses to each other. She had told them so, because they never did, maybe they didn’t know about it! They were really surprised, everyone screamed her name at the same time, really loud!</p><p>After the initial surprise, and while she was hiding from Kurogane, Fai found her and reminded her that Sakura couldn’t remember her Very Special Person, so maybe Mokona shouldn’t mention mouth kisses to them. Mokona felt so bad! She didn’t want to make anyone sad.</p><p>(She didn’t see the issue with Fai kissing Kurogane, though. Fai immediately revealed her location to the angry ninja when she mentioned it, so mean!)</p><p>She liked to kiss her companions, when they were sad. Sakura loved it, Fai always laughed and scratched her head, Syaoran blushed but smiled really warmly, and Kurogane just stopped her whenever she tried. So unfair, Kurogane should get extra kisses for all those he is missing!</p><p>Mokona was the main kisser, but she didn’t get kissed as much. But, her companions seemed to slowly be picking on the habit.</p><p>The most common was Sakura, who usually reciprocated most of her kisses. She had taken the habit of kissing Mokona’s cheek every morning when she woke up. It was really cute!</p><p>Sometimes, when Fai’s mouth was smiling but his eyes weren’t, Mokona would give him a peck on the forehead to cheer him up. He said that Mokona’s smile did help a lot with morale, so she would try to smile real big just for him. He’ll sometimes kiss Mokona’s forehead, to tell her she had done a great job of cheering him up.</p><p>Syaoran wasn’t a fan of kissing. He always jumped when Mokona gave him a kiss, or blushed a bit. It <em>was </em>kind of funny, so she tended to do it often and when he was unaware, but still. He did kiss her cheek on occasion, when Mokona helped him to figure something up, or he got really excited about something. Mokona treasured all of those kisses!</p><p>Kurogane hated kissing with a passion. It was so funny to kiss him, he got so mad about it! Mokona tried to kiss him a lot, partly because it was funny, and also because the man needed kisses! He was so scary, Mokona was sure he didn’t get many kisses. Mokona was just trying to even it up!</p><p>Even if he hated it, Kurogane had kissed her, exactly once so far. He had gotten in a really nasty fight while she was with him, and the monster had gotten hold of Mokona and everything! It was so scary, and there was so much blood everywhere, Mokona had to cover her eyes with her ears!</p><p>Kurogane noticed she was shaking and tried to make her feel better, on his own grumpy way. He had let her hug him and scratched her back and everything. Mokona had told him that he should be a good dad and kiss her head to chase away all the bad thoughts. He told her to not call him dad ever again, but then he actually kissed her! Mokona didn’t think he would actually do it!</p><p>It worked perfectly, and she was so overjoyed that she forgot all about the fight! She tried to reciprocate the kiss all the way back, but Kurogane just wouldn’t have it. He also told her to not say it aloud near the others, or it was never happening again. (That meant there would be a second time!)</p><p>Mokona’s companions were all so nice! She wants to stay with them forever!</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mokona deserves all the kisses, also yay the clones are finally here!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Day 6 - Favorite minor character (Tomoyo)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This girl deserves some positive destiny of her own</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“We’ll surely meet again”</em>
</p><p>Tomoyo sighed dreamily, watching the last flashes of magic disappear from the air. What a delightful, if a bit hectic, experience this was!</p><p>She hoped they achieved what they were set to, and that Sakura was able to gain her precious memories back. She wondered if the other Tomoyo would show up in her dreams again, or she had entrusted her to solve it on her own. She hoped she would, as she had a message to deliver.</p><p>She heard various confused groans from behind her. Well, those were musings for later, there was a lot to do still. Starting with handing out a bunch of painkillers, probably.</p><p>She instructed her bodyguards to deliver freshwater or medical attention to those who still needed it, and then got on her way back to the office. There was some clear-ups to do from the whole ordeal, after all.</p><p>She was making her way through the still ransacked lounge and helping some people sit up straight when an eerily familiar voice made her freeze.</p><p>“What on earth happened here?” The voice was more dumbfounded than judging, and it could only belong to…</p><p>Tomoyo turned to see the owner of the beautiful voice, and indeed there she was. Her hairstyle was a bit different, with longer hair tied in a neat ponytail. Besides that, those dreamy green eyes and pure expression belonged to Sakura only.</p><p><em>So she exists in Piffle as well, </em>her brain concluded, while her heart started beating at an alarming pace. Oh, that was wonderful news.</p><p>“Believe it or not, it was a party.” She answered, walking towards her.</p><p>“Really? I was told there had been an attack yesterday, that’s why we were sent here to check on everyone.” This Sakura answered, her honey voice being music to Tomoyo’s ears.</p><p>She noticed that she had a white and pink uniform, those used by Piffle nurses. What a curious coincidence, that she would show up just now. Questions about fate were ringing through her mind, but they were background noise to the fact that here she was, talking to her.</p><p>“Oh, there was, but no one got hurt. The celebrations afterwards seemed to have claimed its victims though.” She told her with a laugh.</p><p>Sakura smiled as well, but then her face suddenly went red on the checks, and she hastily told her:</p><p>“Oh, how rude of me! My name is Sakura, what’s yours?” Her face grew even redder when she said that, and she hastily added. “Well, I <em>know </em>your name, everyone in Piffle knows it, but what I mean is –“</p><p>Tomoyo interrupted her with a good-natured laugh. She didn’t mean to, but the girl was just so <em>cute. </em>Tomoyo couldn’t handle it.</p><p>“Tomoyo, at your service.” She introduced herself extending her hand, once she calmed down. Sakura shook it, also recovering from her embarrassment.</p><p>“It’s so lovely that you were sent to help, would you mind if I give you a hand?”</p><p>“Not at all, but don’t you have other obligations to attend to?” Tomoyo couldn’t believe how worried she sounded, having only met her for a few minutes. What an incredible girl indeed.</p><p>“Oh, nothing important really.” She said.</p><p>As she helped Sakura get her first aid kit, Tomoyo decided that Piffle could wait for her a few hours.</p><p><em>We’ll surely meet again, huh? </em>Fate was such a wonderful thing, on occasion.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Day 7 - Horitsuba</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is both the dumbest and the longest one so far lmao</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The students at Horitsuba Institute were accustomed to the unique environment of the school. It was an exceptionally friendly and accommodating place to be, even if some of the staff were rather…eccentric, to put it kindly.</p><p>One such example was Fai Flourite, high school Chem teacher. Easy-going and knowledgeable, he was beloved by the student body for his easy smile and interesting classes. That love, however, couldn’t hide the fact that he was a rather particular person.</p><p><em>(“He’s so passionate about his subject!”</em> Sakura had said once when trying to describe him.</p><p><em>“More like unhinged.” </em>Added Syaoran, with a worried tone.</p><p><em>“He’s your friendly neighbour mad scientist.” </em>Finished Syaoron easily, hitting his twin on the shoulder.)</p><p>He liked to make his classes interesting, with experiments that may or may not end on fire. Everyone has to use safety measures though, so no one really gets hurt. Sometimes he’d show experiments that didn’t look suited for high-school. Other times he’d show experiments that didn’t look <em>possible</em>.</p><p>His age was a complete mystery. The only thing everyone agreed on was that he looked 27-ish but definitely wasn’t. Students had asked him, but they quickly realized he gave a completely different answer each time.</p><p>Asking Yuui, Fai’s twin and also the Economics teacher, wasn’t helpful either. The man had a more serious aura than his brother. Fai must have told him of his little game, however, because questions about his age were met with a fond laugh and nothing else.</p><p>The third thing everyone knew about professor Flourite, is that he was married. He mentioned his husband constantly, often by an array of equally ridiculous nicknames.</p><p>(<em>Who calls his significant other a dog? </em>Syaoran often wonders.</p><p><em>I think it’s rather cute!</em> Sakura answered once when she was within earshot.</p><p><em>I change my mind</em>. Syaoran immediately declared, causing Syaoron to laugh for five minutes straight.)</p><p>For what they have gathered from all his mentions of him, the mystery husband is also a teacher; more serious than Fai although that wasn’t a hard feat; a bit grumpy at times but ultimately an extremely kind person.</p><p>The real kicker came, however, when they asked Yuui about the husband. “<em>Oh, he works here as well” </em>he had said casually, like he hadn’t just thrown a gossip bomb to a pack of young, bored hyenas.</p><p>The students had started a sort of competition to figure out <em>who </em>the husband was. Fai had obviously heard about the game, because he had taken to not answering any questions on the subject, clearly enjoying the goose chase he had produced.</p><p>Syaoran had thought that the whole thing was ridiculous, and that the teachers’ personal lives wasn’t any of his business. So it was mostly by chance that he discovered the truth, one afternoon in P.E class.</p><p>The P.E teacher, Kurogane Youou, was another member of the staff with an odd reputation.</p><p>The man was another mystery. He rarely talked about anything that wasn’t relevant to his class, if he spoke at all. He had a look on his face that gave the impression that he was five seconds away from murder at any given time. He was also extremely tall, with a build that would give a professional martial artist a run for their money. Unlike Fai and Yuui, it was a known fact that he was in his late twenties, but he looked older. Jaded.</p><p><em>Are his eyes really red? </em>The first years usually whisper in the first classes, <em>It HAS to be a trick of the light</em>.</p><p><em>Check the moon calendar, </em>One student had once told another, when they were informed he would be absent that day. <em>Maybe he’s a werewolf.</em></p><p><em>He was definitely a cop or in special forces, </em>Other student had whispered, as he saw Kurogane break out a fight. He had picked up both students off the ground and each other at the same time, without any effort.</p><p><em>He has killed a man, for sure. </em>Yet another said, after he had thrown a broomstick to the ceiling to retrieve a ball that had stuck between two crosspieces. He hit it point blank, like he had just thrown a lance. The broomstick cracked.</p><p>(<em>That’s so rude! </em>Sakura had anguished, having heard that last comment. <em>He’s a really nice man!</em></p><p><em>Yeah, </em>Syaoran had agreed. <em>He’s super cool if you don’t piss him off. I’m sure the guy he killed definitely deserved it.)</em></p><p>The day Syaoran unintentionally won the competition they were playing football. Syaoran had missed the ball and suddenly found himself on the floor. When he tried to get up, his ankle burned furiously.</p><p>Syaoron was at his side in an instant, asking him if he was ok. He was about to call the teacher when the strong ringing of Kurogane’s whistle bounced through the gym. Syaoran was still amazed at the lung-power the man had.</p><p>“You okay, kid?” The teacher asked, kneeling in front of him.</p><p>“I think I twisted my ankle.” Syaoran told him, signaling to his left leg.</p><p>Kurogane directed his attention to his ankle, briefly asking him permission before touching it gently. Syaoran hissed.</p><p>“Yeah, you need this checked.” Kurogane said. “I’ll take you to the infirmary, everyone else wait here and don’t do anything stupid.”</p><p>The rest of the class agreed in unison, looking rather scared. Syaoran thought that there wouldn’t be a single noise coming from the gym for the following ten minutes.</p><p>“I’m going with you” Said Syaoron, in a voice that left no room for argument.</p><p>Kurogane nodded, and then told Syaoran: “I don’t want you making it worse, so I’ll just pick you up, okay?”</p><p>Syaoran’s face reddened. “You don’t need to do that!”</p><p>He tried to illustrate his point by getting up. His ankle had other ideas, and if the teacher and Syaoron hadn’t caught him in time, he’d have landed face-first on the floor.</p><p>“Yeah, obviously.” Kurogane deadpanned, still holding him by the shoulders. Syaoran admitted defeat.</p><p>Kurogane then kneeled with his back to him and told him to hang on from his shoulders. Syaoran did, and rather effortlessly, Kurogane stood up and started walking out. He didn’t even look fazed by the added weight.</p><p>“Do I weight anything to you?” He couldn’t help but ask.</p><p>“No.” Kurogane told him without missing a beat. Behind him, he could hear Syaoron snickering.</p><p>They made it to the infirmary, and Kurogane left the twins with the nurse to wait outside. As the woman checked his ankle, he couldn’t help to overhear a rather loud exchange happening outside:</p><p>“Look who’s here?” Said a sing-song voice belonging to their chem teacher. “you don’t show up in the building much, I thought you were soul-bound to the gym by now.”</p><p>The twins shared a dumbfounded look, while the nurse just rolled her eyes.</p><p>“Flourite sure is brave…” Commented Syaoran, doing a poor job in pretending not to eavesdrop.</p><p>“Or stupid.” Said Syaoron, who was pointedly and unashamedly trying to listen in.</p><p>The nurse clearly was ignoring everything, instead giving Syaoran an ice pack for his ankle and going away to fill his injury slip. The conversation outside continued.</p><p>“How the hell do you manage a class speaking like that?” Kurogane’s voice was sharp and dry. It was the kind of sound one would make if they had to explain what sandpaper was using only auditory cues. Syaoran shuddered a bit.</p><p>“Oh, you know you love it.” Fai said, voice unmistakably <em>flirty </em>now.</p><p>The twins were frozen in place, wondering how their stern, terrifying P.E teacher was reacting to all of that. However, the man’s next words left them both completely speechless:</p><p>“I told you a hundred times not to flirt with me when we’re working. Try and be professional.”</p><p>“Always so grumpy, big bad wolf.”</p><p>“Call me that again and I’ll divorce you.”</p><p>The twins looked at each other, as if to check if they had heard correctly. <em>Kurogane Youou was the mystery husband?</em></p><p>Syaoran backtracked on his initial stance on his teacher’s love life. This was something else. Sakura would surely find this development adorable, somehow.</p>
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